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Our Genealogy Helper

Introduction ...

We have a couple of goals for our Gazetteer:

  • That it be a tool which helps us with planning our trips.
  • We're trying to shape our Gazetteer as a tool to help us understand the community in which our ancestors lived, the community that was part of their daily lives.
  • On our trips, we try to visit those places where our ancestors left their footprints.

By learning about Matthews (and the surrounding area) during the time that our ancestors lived, we hope to have a better understanding of both their community and its relationship to their lifes. We hope that this tool helps to give us an insight into their world.

As we add data and organize our Gazetteer to help with our family research, we will be adding to this our Genealogical Helper for Matthews. While we don't have information that is specific to any given person or family, we intend to expand our understanding about where and how people lived.

Name Variations for Matthews ...

When searching records, keep in mind that names and their spelling can change over time. Our sources include documents like maps, railroad schedules, Travel, Express and Shipping Guides. Many of these documents date from the 1800's and it's common to find spelling differences.

Although we can't give a definitive list, hopefully the following will give you a feel for the variations that might have occurred.

Another variation: Matthew.

If you have information about these names (such as the reason for the change, date of change, the origin of the name), please Contact Us.

Neighboring Counties ...

When searching for family records, we have frequently made the mistake of not checking the neighboring counties.

For example, we have great-grandparents who lived in the southwest corner of their home county. During their lives, most doctors and hospitals were in the next county to the west. Almost all of the nearby churches and cemeteries were in the county to the south.

So when searching for records, we had our best success by looking in neighboring counties instead of the county in which they lived:  their home county contained property and probate records; the county to the west contained birth and death records; the county to the south contained their burial records. If we hadn't included the neighboring counties, we would have missed many valuable sources of information.

If you're in a similar situation, we hope that the following information helps.

Matthews is located in Colorado County.

To see how the shape of Texas' counties have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.

The following counties adjoin and form the boundaries of Colorado County: Austin, Fayette, Lavaca & Wharton.

Below are the counties that are near Matthews. For each of these counties, we show a sample of those communities that are closest to Matthews:

  • Colorado County     (The home county of Matthews)
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Boedecker Junction
      (2 miles [3.2 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Boedecker Junction have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Boedecker Junction
      • Boedecker Junction is located in Colorado County
    • Garwood
      (5 miles [8 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Garwood have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Garwood
      • Garwood is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Garwood <2>
    • Eagle Lake
      (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
    • Nada
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Altair
      (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altair
      • Altair is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altair <2>
    • Ramsey
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
      • Ramsey is located in Colorado County
    • Rock Island
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rock Island have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rock Island
      • Rock Island is located in Colorado County
    • Alleyton
      (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
    • Columbus
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
    • Glidden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glidden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glidden
      • Glidden is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glidden <2>
    • Sheridan
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the west)
    • Provident City ‑ Historic
      (23 miles [37 km] to the southwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Provident City have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Provident City
      • Provident City is located in Colorado County
  • Austin County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Rexville ‑ Historic
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rexville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rexville
      • Rexville is located in Austin County
    • Wallis
      (18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)
    • Sealy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sealy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sealy
      • Sealy is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sealy <2>
    • Frydek
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Frydek
      • Frydek is located in Austin County
    • Cat Spring
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cat Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cat Spring
      • Cat Spring is located in Austin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cat Spring <2>
    • Brazos Country
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brazos Country have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brazos Country
      • Brazos Country is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 472 people
    • San Felipe
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the northeast)
    • Millheim
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Millheim have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Millheim
      • Millheim is located in Austin County
    • New Ulm
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the north)
  • Fort Bend County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Powell Point
      (18 miles [29 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Powell Point
      • Powell Point is located in Fort Bend County
    • Kendleton
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendleton
      • Kendleton is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kendleton <2>
    • Orchard
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Orchard have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Orchard
      • Orchard is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 412 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Orchard <2>
    • Simonton
      (22 miles [35.4 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Simonton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Simonton
      • Simonton is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 884 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Simonton <2>
    • Beasley
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Beasley have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Beasley
      • Beasley is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 679 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Beasley <2>
    • Weston Lakes
      (26 miles [41.8 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Weston Lakes have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Weston Lakes
      • Weston Lakes is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 4,191 people
    • Four Corners
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Four Corners have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Four Corners
      • Four Corners is located in Fort Bend County
    • Fulshear
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the northeast)
    • Needville
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Needville have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Needville
      • Needville is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 3,131 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Needville <2>
    • Pleak
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pleak have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pleak
      • Pleak is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 1,762 people
    • Rosenberg
      (30 miles [48.3 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Rosenberg have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Rosenberg
      • Rosenberg is located in Fort Bend County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 39,350 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Rosenberg <2>
  • Lavaca County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Speaks
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the southwest)
    • Sublime
      (28 miles [45.1 km] to the west)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sublime have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sublime
      • Sublime is located in Lavaca County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sublime <2>
  • Waller County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Brookshire
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Brookshire have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Brookshire
      • Brookshire is located in Waller County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,095 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Brookshire <2>
    • Pattison
      (29 miles [46.7 km] to the northeast)
  • Wharton County
    • The following are listed by their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.
    • Bonus
      (4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bonus
      • Bonus is located in Wharton County
    • Lissie
      (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
    • Egypt
      (8 miles [12.9 km] to the southeast)
    • Nottawa
      (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottawa
      • Nottawa is located in Wharton County
    • Glen Flora
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the southeast)
    • East Bernard
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
    • Hahn
      (15 miles [24.1 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hahn
      • Hahn is located in Wharton County
    • Hungerford
      (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Wharton
      (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Pierce
      (19 miles [30.6 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Pierce have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Pierce
      • Pierce is located in Wharton County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Pierce <2>
    • El Campo
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the south)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for El Campo have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for El Campo
      • El Campo is located in Wharton County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 11,502 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for El Campo <2>
    • Hillje
      (24 miles [38.6 km] to the south)
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hillje
      • Hillje is located in Wharton County

For an expanded list of the communities that are closest to Matthews, see our County-by-County Page for Matthews.

Newspapers Published in Matthews ...

An ongoing effort between the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has resulted in the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP).

To share their results, the partnership has created the Chronicling America website. The goal of this partnership is to assemble a database about the current and historic newspapers of the United States. This includes a growing collection of scanned images from selected papers. All of it available to the public on their website.

Using information that we've taken from the Chronicling America website, we've identified 36 newspapers that have been published in the area around Matthews.

Although we're unaware of any newspapers that were published in the immediate area of Matthews, there are papers which were published within 30 miles [48.3 km]<3>. A list of those papers, sorted by paper name, can be found on the Extended Newspaper List for Matthews.

Websites to Help With Your Genealogy Research ...

When we do our genealogical research, we first visit the websites from Cyndi's List, FamilySearch and Genealogy Trails. These websites either offer the information directly or else point to where you can find it. Their information is open to everyone.

To help you get started, the following links will take you to the pages that are relevant to Matthews:

Cemeteries Near Matthews ...

Below are cemeteries that are in the vicinity of Matthews.

This is a new section and is likely to have errors. If you find an error, such as a missing cemetery or we have the wrong name, please let us know. If you know of them, we would also appreciate learning about previous or alternate names.

If you need information about a burial or interment, photos, transcripts, how to contact the cemetery or local authorities, please visit our selection of Genealogy Websites (see below).

If not found below, our Cemetery List for Matthews covers a larger area, with the cemeteries listed in alphabetical order.

The following cemeteries are listed based on their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.

  • Union Hill Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Union Hill Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Union Hill Cemetery
  • Frazer Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Frazer Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Frazer Cemetery
  • Mt. Zion Cemetery
    (Less than 2 miles to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mt. Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mt. Zion Cemetery
  • Elm Grove Cemetery
    (3 miles [4.8 km] to the south)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Elm Grove Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Elm Grove Cemetery
  • Lakeside Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Lakeside Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Lakeside Cemetery
  • Garwood Methodist Cemetery
    (5 miles [8 km] to the west)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garwood Methodist Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garwood Methodist Cemetery
  • Garwood Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Garwood Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Garwood Cemetery
  • Sandbridge Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the southeast)
  • Lissie Community Cemetery
    (7 miles [11.3 km] to the northeast)
  • Nada Cemetery
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the southwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Nada Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Nada Cemetery
  • Camp Zion Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Camp Zion Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Camp Zion Cemetery
  • Adams Cemetery
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Adams Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Adams Cemetery
  • Continue List   (144 more) ...
    • Old Jerusalem Cemetery
      (12 miles [19.3 km] to the southeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Old Jerusalem Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Old Jerusalem Cemetery
    • Mexican Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Mexican Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Mexican Cemetery
    • Middle Bernard Cemetery
      (13 miles [20.9 km] to the east)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for the Middle Bernard Cemetery have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for the Middle Bernard Cemetery

Nearby Communities in 1895 ...

We've built the following list with information that came from an Atlas published by Rand McNally in 1895. The Atlas had details such as the population of the community (which appears to have come from the 1890 Census) and whether there was a post office and/or railroad service available. We also indicate if the community no longer exists and is now historic.<5>

While we didn't find Matthews in the Atlas, the following 1895 communities would have been found near the current location of Matthews.

These communities are listed based on their distance from Matthews, with the one closest to Matthews listed first.

  • Eagle Lake
    (6 miles [9.7 km] to the north)
  • Altair
    (9 miles [14.5 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Altair have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Altair
    • Altair is located in Colorado County
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Altair <2>
  • Ramsey
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the northwest)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Ramsey have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Ramsey
    • Ramsey is located in Colorado County
  • Nottawa
    (11 miles [17.7 km] to the east)
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Nottawa
    • Nottawa is located in Wharton County
  • East Bernard
    (15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)
  • Hungerford
    (16 miles [25.7 km] to the southeast)
  • Alleyton
    (17 miles [27.4 km] to the northwest)
  • Mackay
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mackay have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mackay
    • Mackay is located in Wharton County
  • Mentz
    (18 miles [29 km] to the north)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mentz have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mentz
    • Mentz is located in Colorado County
  • Wharton
    (18 miles [29 km] to the southeast)
  • Kendleton
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)
    • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Kendleton have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
    • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kendleton
    • Kendleton is located in Fort Bend County
    • Population from the 2020 Census: 458 people
    • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kendleton <2>
  • Columbus
    (19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)
  • Continue List   (15 more) ...
    • Sealy
      (20 miles [32.2 km] to the northeast)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Sealy have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Sealy
      • Sealy is located in Austin County
      • Population from the 2020 Census: 6,443 people
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Sealy <2>
    • Glidden
      (21 miles [33.8 km] to the northwest)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Glidden have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Glidden
      • Glidden is located in Colorado County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Glidden <2>
    • Cat Spring
      (23 miles [37 km] to the north)
      • Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Cat Spring have been provided by the GNIS.<1> The coordinates still need to be verified.
      • Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Cat Spring
      • Cat Spring is located in Austin County
      • Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Cat Spring <2>

We've also created an expanded list of communities that existed in the 1890's and were located in the area around Matthews. See our List of 1890's Communities around Matthews.

Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Matthews. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.

The official website for State of Texas: https://texas.gov/

Footnotes ...

<1>The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required.
<2>While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program.
<3>Our distances are not driving distances, but are calculated as a 'straight-line' (or point-to-point) distance. A straight line distance ignores things like rivers, canyons, lakes, et cetera - it's truly a line drawn from Point A (ie- Matthews) to Point B.Our distance measurements begin at a specific point in Matthews. The point we use is located at these GPS coordinates - Latitude: 29.5000, Longitude: -96.3227    
<4>The Find-a-Grave website is an excellent research tool with information about a cemetery's location and interments. They also offer a forum for their members which can provide additional help. More information about Find-a-Grave can be found on their website: findagrave.com.
<5>We use the term 'Historic' broadly and it generally means that the community no longer exists. However, it can also mean that the community might still exist, but was significantly larger or had a more 'official' existence in the past than it does now. Unfortunately our sources of data have proven to be unreliable. If you can provide us with more specific information about Matthews, please let us know so that we can improve our accuracy.




 

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This page was last modified/updated: 07 Apr 2024